
They may deny Him by conforming to the world, by uncourteous
behavior, by the love of their own opinions, by justifying self, by
cherishing doubt, borrowing trouble, and dwelling in darkness.
In all these ways they declare that Christ is not in them. And
`whosoever shall deny Me before men,' He says, 'him will I also
deny before My Father which is in heaven.'
"—Id.,
p.
357.
3.
It is possible to drive the Spirit from us so that its pleading
voice can not be heard. "To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden
not your hearts," for "the sin against the Holy Ghost is the sin of
persistent refusal to respond to the invitation to repent."—Mrs.
E. G. White, in "Review and Herald," June 29, 1897.
4.
"The Saviour's mission on earth was fast drawing to a
close. Only a few months remained for Him to complete what
He had come to do, in establishing the kingdom of His grace.
Yet human greed would have turned Him from His work, to
take up the dispute over a piece of land. But Jesus was not to be
diverted from His mission. His answer was, 'Man, who made
Me a judge or a divider over you?'
"Jesus could have told this man just what was right. He knew
the right in the case ; but the brothers were in a quarrel because
both were covetous. Christ virtually said, It is not My work to
settle controversies of this kind. He came for another purpose,
to preach the gospel, and thus to arouse men to a sense of eternal
realities.
"In Christ's treatment of this case is a lesson for all who
minister in His, name. When He sent forth the twelve, He said,
`As ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils :
freely ye have received, freely give.' They were not to settle the
temporal affairs of the people. Their work was to persuade men
to be reconciled to God. In this work lay their power to bless
humanity. The only remedy for the sins and sorrows of men is
Christ. The gospel of His grace alone can cure the evils that
curse society. The injustice of the rich toward the poor, the
hatred of the poor toward the rich, alike have their root in self-
ishness, and this can be eradicated only through submission to
Christ. He alone, for the selfish heart of sin, gives the new heart
of love. Let the servants of Christ preach the gospel with the
Spirit sent down from heaven, and work as He did for the benefit
of men. Then such results will be manifest, in the blessing and
uplifting of mankind, as are wholly impossible of accomplishment
by human
power."—"Christ's Object Lessons," pp.
2
53,
2
54-
5.
"The rich man was in perplexity as to what he should do
with his produce. His barns were full to overflowing, and he
had no place to put the surplus of his harvest. He did not think
of God, from whom all his mercies had come. He did not realize
that God had made him a steward of His goods, that he might
help the needy. He had a blessed opportunity of being God's
almoner, but he thought only of ministering to his own comfort.
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